King's Ransom. William Speir

is 70% of the treasure you capture. You and the men in your command may keep the remaining 30%. You may also keep and dispose of any ships you capture during your mission. Any extra ships you bring back to England, should you return to England when the mission is over, can be treated as prizes and reimbursed accordingly.”

      Harry was shocked to hear this. Not only was he being given command of a large force on a secret mission, but he was also being given the chance to come out of this a wealthy man!

      “A lot is riding on this mission, Captain Hastings,” Shovell said, snapping Harry’s thoughts back to the present. “Your actions won’t prevent the war, but it will make it harder for France to wage war against us and easier for us to make war on France. However, I need for you to remember that once you set sail, you’re on your own. If captured, you risk the fate of all pirates – even in English ports. You may be hung, but you cannot reveal that you’re a serving officer of His Majesty’s Navy and neither can any member of your crew. Once onboard your ship, you’re a pirate until you receive orders telling you that your mission is concluded. None of the colonial governors will be notified that your ship isn’t really a pirate ship, but the squadron commander over there, Admiral John Benbow, will be fully briefed. You’ll coordinate your actions with him as you see fit. Should war be declared, you may find that his squadron can help leave merchant ships unprotected for you to raid. Though he outranks you, he cannot issue you orders. He’ll pass orders from me to you, however, and will be your way of sending reports to me if necessary.”

      “You’ll also be changing the name of your ship when you take her out,” Leicester said. “She’s to be named the King’s Ransom.”

      “That has a nice pirate feel to it, sir,” Harry commented.

      Leicester handed Harry a large package. “This is your flag. You aren’t to fly an English flag except when returning to England at the end of your mission. You can use the flags of other countries as you see fit to accomplish your mission, but this is your ship’s official colors.”

      As Harry opened the package, Leicester continued. “It’s called a ‘jolly roger’ and has found popularity among pirates of late. It has the image of a skull with two crossed bones beneath. This one’s known as a ‘One-Eyed Jack’ because it has an eye patch over one eye. This one’s also wearing a cocked crown, which will identify you as the King’s Ransom to Benbow’s squadron.”

      Harry looked at the design on the flag and then folded it again and put it back in the package.

      “Do you have any questions at this point?” Shovell asked.

      “No, sir,” Harry replied, still feeling disturbed about his orders. Then an idea came to him. “What about the crew, sir?”

      Leicester handed over a packet of papers. “Here’s the list. You’ll recognize several of the names. They’re all from the Blue Squadron and have been selected for their skills. You’ll be meeting with them tomorrow to inform them about certain select aspects of the mission. The rest can be shared with them once you’ve cleared Portsmouth harbor. The sailing master and his mates are already onboard the ship and will be the only members of the crew that you won’t meet in advance. They’re the only ones who know exactly how to sail her, so their presence is required. You can take time during the crossing to put her through her paces and see what she can do when pressed. She’ll be your home for the next several years, so you need to know her as well as you know yourself.”

      “Let me go over the members of your command who have already left for Cat Island,” Shovell said, handing Harry a larger packet of papers. Harry opened the packet and saw papers listing the names, skills, and functions of each of the men as well as the stores that were being delivered to Cat Island. Harry began to appreciate the immensity of the operation and how much planning must have been required.

      “How long have you been putting this together, sir?” he asked.

      “A week,” Shovell replied. “It’s one of the more intricate operations we’ve ever planned, and it’ll be a miracle if we managed to keep spies from finding out what we’re up to. Our real advantage is timing. The French and their spies will never think that we’ve managed to pull together a major military operation this quickly, and hopefully they’ll never connect the activities going on around here lately with your mission over in the Americas.” Pointing to the notes, he added, “We’ve written everything down so we don’t forget anything, but you’ll need to burn those notes once you have them committed to memory. Make sure your two lieutenants familiarize themselves with those notes as well.”

      Leicester snapped his fingers. “I just remembered something else. There is another person who will know who you are. We have a spy on New Providence. He’s a French Huguenot that the French think is their spy and the pirates think is a double agent working for them. Actually, he’s one of our spies and will help keep you updated on what’s going on from time to time. His name is Jean-Claude Durand. He’ll meet you on Cat Island later in the year.”

      Harry nodded. The Huguenots were French Protestants that the French government had been trying to destroy for years. Many had been burned as heretics or had fled the country. Others pretended to convert back to Catholicism but were actually working for the various Protestant powers and had proven to be valuable spies during the wars over religion.

      “When do I set sail?” Harry asked as the afternoon sun approached the horizon.

      “Tomorrow night,” Shovell replied. “We need to finish loading provisions, and we need to gather together all the boats you’ll be using to get your crew onboard. An hour after sundown tomorrow night, just as the watch changes, you’ll take the ship. You need to be well out of the harbor by ten o’clock if you want to outrun the squadron that’ll be pursuing you. Remember: throw only the Marine guards overboard. Everyone else needs to be onboard the ship when it sails.”

      “I have one more gift for you, captain,” Leicester said, handing Harry another large package. “Consider it a going-away present.”

      “What is it, sir?”

      “Well, you can’t very well command a pirate ship wearing the uniform of a captain in His Majesty’s Navy. I had a new coat and hat made that I think will work well for you. Don’t put them on until after you are at sea and have started the mission.”

      “Thank you, sir,” Harry said, setting the package on top of the new flag. Then Harry rose to his feet. Shovell and Leicester stood up and shook his hand.

      “Good luck to you, Captain Hastings,” Shovell said. “I know we’re asking a lot of you, and I know you’re capable of doing what needs to be done. We’re at war, even though at the moment it’s an undeclared war. Your actions will have a tremendous impact on the war effort, even though no one will ever know what you did or how you did it. If you return from all this, there will be honors waiting for you – more than you could ever dream. You’ll never be known as a hero publically, but you’ll be a hero to the Admiralty and to your king.”

      “Thank you, sir. And thank you for trusting me with this mission.”

      “Best of luck to you, Captain,” Leicester said. “Godspeed.”

      Harry picked up the packages, took his hat from the table, and left the admiral’s cabin. Once he was gone, Leicester looked at Shovell. “Do you think any of them will make it back alive, sir?”

      Shovell lowered his head slightly. “Doubtful, but you never know with that Hastings lad. If it can be done, he’ll get it done.”

      Harry left the admiral’s flagship and walked along the docks to get a look at his new ship. Mast after mast of warships and military supply ships filled the sky like a forest of bare trees in winter. After walking for nearly twenty minutes, he finally caught sight of it – anchored well away from the other warships in the harbor. Its sails were furled, and the ship rocked with an unexpected grace in the rising tide. He estimated it to be about 120 feet long from the head to the taffrail at the stern, and around 30 feet wide at the center. Its general construction was familiar – three masts